Thursday, March 12, 1998 | 11:23 a.m.
As Matt Gerber shuffled from television to television Thursday night, it didn't take him long to reach a depressing conclusion about the Princeton Tigers.
"It doesn't matter which TV you watch," screamed the senior education major at UNLV. "They still don't miss!"
Gerber was watching UNLV play Princeton in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament at Moose McGillycuddy's Pub & Cafe, located on Maryland Parkway across from campus. On each of the 11 sets -- and the projection big screen, too -- the Rebels were struggling.
UNLV was eliminated from the East Regional in Hartford, Conn., 69-57. The Tigers beat the Rebels behind a 20-0 run late in the first half, a stretch that deflated spirits over 2,600 miles away.
"We looked like we were outclassed," said Jeremy Mix, who graduated from UNLV last year. "They were very, very disciplined. We played ugly. They made us look bad."
The popular college bar was packed as if it were Friday night, and the patrons were optimistic early. They started chanting "Let's go Re-bels" 15 minutes before the 4:40 p.m. tip off.
They erupted five minutes into the game when Tyrone Nesby gave the Rebels their first lead at 6-5.
UNLV kept Princeton at bay and its fans content for a little while. But the natives got restless with 14:53 left before halftime as CBS Sports erroneously switched over to the Utah-San Francisco game in Boise, Idaho.
A few minutes later, all was right with the world when CBS caught its mistake. The Rebels still were winning when UNLV-Princeton coverage resumed -- but not for long.
The bar fell silent with 5:11 left in the half, when a 3-pointer put Princeton ahead 23-20. The basket was part of that 20-0 scoring slump, during which UNLV went 0 of 8 from the floor.
The crowd's demeanor turned downright nasty during the Tigers' surge. Profanity dribbled from the mouths of many.
"That 20-0 run is what sealed the game," Mix said.
But the furor gave way to humor before the half. As the Tigers' Gabe Lewullis stepped to the free-throw line, a graphic noted his major was ecology.
"Ecology?" one fan yelled. "All of our guys are communications majors!"
But the still-growing crowd remained faithful in the second half. They cheered with every Rebel bucket and groaned with every Tiger backdoor cut.
UNLV crawled back -- with the exaltations getting louder by the basket -- and cut the lead to 54-49.
In the waning minutes however, it was clear Princeton would win as it continued to knock down clutch shots. The Tigers shot 55 percent from the floor.
"I had faith in the Rebels," said Kari Borra, a senior studying hotel management. "I thought they could do it until there were about seven minutes left. They were catching up but probably got a little cocky. It was too big a challenge for them."
As the final seconds played out, Rebel fans could only laugh. An insect landed in the middle of one of the TV screens.
"Maybe it can play some defense," somebody cracked.
In general, though, the fans were pleased with the season and already were looking forward to the next.
"We're premature," said Jeff Shady, a 1995 UNLV graduate. "We're all freshmen and sophomores for the most part. They're so young."
Added Gerber, a Valley High alum who coaches football at Green Valley: "I couldn't be prouder of these guys. We had a great run."
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